Header for boilers



J. T. DALCHER HEADER FOR BOILERS Filed May 12, 1925 June 18, 1929.

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June 18, 1929. J. T. DALCHER 1.717.371

HEADER FOR BOILERS Filed May 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Ewenlvr: Jiflzn llDalchcl;

Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN T. DALCHER, 0F BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

HEADER FOR BOILERS.

Application filed May 12, 1925. Serial No. 29,754.

This invention relates to headers for boilers and has for its objectthe provision of means for securing the covers to the hand holes therein.

This object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, one preferred form thereof is illustrated in the drawings, this form having been found to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention con.- sists can be variously arranged and organized, and the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization 7 of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described except as required by the scope of the appended claims. v

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a header without covers on the'hand holes.

Figure2represents a side elevation of same, showing covers for hand holes and with the lower end in section. v

Figure 3 represents a front elevation of a portion of a header drawn to an enlarged scale and showing the hand hole cover and holding device therefor.

Figure 4 represents ahorizontal section of the same on line 4, 4, on Fig. 3, and

Figure 5 represents a side elevation of a portion of the same.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawm s.

Th the drawings 10 is a sectional header such as is used in certain types of steam boilers.

This header is preferably sinuous as shown, but obviously may have straight side walls if desired.

These headers must be provided with hand holes 11 to give access to. the boiler tubes 12 which are secured to and extend from the rear wall of saidheadersas is usual in such constructions of boilers.

The hand holes 11 have usually been made oval and the covers for closing the same have been inserted through these holes and positioned against the inner face of the front wall of the header.

To accomplish this the hand holes are necessarily made quite large and weaken the header and one aim of the present invention is to greatly reduce the area of the hand holes, thereby greatly strengthening the headers.

These covers when inserted through the hand holes either must have gaskets interposed between flanges on said covers and the inner wall of the header or must be'formed with a ground face fitted to a ground face at the inner end of the hand hole.

Both of these methods are objectionable on account of the expense incurred in such constructions.

To obviate the difiiculties found to exist in the constructions now in general use, I form the hand holes llcylindrical with a slight inclination to the wall thereof, said hole having a less dlameter at the rear end than at the forward end thereof.

The holes 11 thus made maybe of a diameter only slightly in excess of that of the boiler tubes 12. I

The cover 13 for said hand hole 11 is made with a cylindrical wall 14 adapted to fit into said hand hole and its inner end is semispherical orcup-shaped as indicated at 15.

The header 10 is provided on opposite sides of each hand hole 11 with lugs or projections 16 having hook membersl? formed thereon, each hook member 17 having a stop shoulder 18 formed integral therewith. These hook members 17 extend in opposite directions, as for instance, all those on the left of the header extend upwardly, while all those on the right extend downwardly.

I The hook members 17 are provided as supports for the cross bar-19, the opposite ends which are positioned therein.

.. The cross bar 19 has threaded thereto mid way of its length a screwiQO having a head 21 at its outer end by which said screw may I be adjusted relatively to the bar 19.

The opposite end impinges against the centerof the outer face of the disk portion of the cover 18 and by adjusting the screw 20 said cover may be forced into the hand hole 11 so that an absolutely tight joint is made between the inclined wall of said hole and the cover 13.

The cover 13 is provided at its outer end with oppositely disposed outwardly extending flanges 22 which provide means for removing the said cover from the hand hole 11.

When the cover 13 is first inserted into the hand hole 11, there is sufficient room for the bar 19 to be inserted under the hooks 17, but

when the screw 20 is rotated to force the cover 13 further into the hole 11, the bar 19 will be moved outward until its outer face bears on the face 23 of the hooks l7.

\Vhen in this position the shoulders 18 prevent the bar 19 from rotating about the axis of the screw 20 and thereby becoming displaced from said hooks 17.

It is obvious that in this construction the hand hole cover 13, with its holding members 19, 20, are always outside the header and in plain view making them readily accessible in case it is desired to remove a cover.

By such a construction as is herein shown and described any cover may be quickly removed'and replaced-without interfering with any of the other covers.

The entire cover is formed of pressed steel with a large fillet 24 at the junction of the inner disk portion 15 and the cylindrical wall -14 said wall having a slight taper fitting a corresponding taper on the all of the hole 11. 1 i

As a consequence a small pressure obtained by rotating the screw 20 will cause the cover 13 to make an intimate cont-act with the bore of the hole 11, thus forming an absolutely- 18, any additional pressureapplied to said cover 13 through said screw 20 will tend to increase the diameter of the cover and thus increase'the pressure of contact between the wall 14'and the'bore of the hand hole 11.

In case there should be a slight deviation between the bore of the hole 'll'and the wall 14 of the cover 13, the force applied by the screw 20 will tend to squeeze the metal of the cover into any existing imperfections or crevices of thebore and assure a perfect metal to metalcontact even'under such conditions. Even if the body of the header should warp slightly, due to the internalstresses when heat is applied; thus causing the bore of the hand hole to be out of round, the cover 13 is flexible enough so that when sufficient forceis appliedbyrneans of screw 20, a metal to metal contact around the whole circumference of the covercan be obtained,

By utilizingthis construction of'hand hole covers, the area of the handhole may be reduced 16% for four inch tubes and 20% for three inch tubes.

This greatly increases the strength of the headers.

The tubes 12 are inclined relatively to the header 10 as indicated in Fig. 2 and consequently the front and rear walls of the header are provided with a plurality of parallel flat faces 25, 26 which are in echelon as shown in Fig. 2. v This construction makes it possiblefor the rear faces 26 tobe perpendicular to'the'axes of the tubes 12 and the hand holes 11 to be alined with the holes in the rear wall of the wardly extending hooked members on opposite sides of said hole; a cover having an unbroken peripheral surface insertable into and fitting said hand hole; a crossbar positioned by said hooked members free from contact withsaid cover; and means on said cross bar for retaining said coverin position. 2- A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a cylindrical hand hole of-which the cylindrical wall is unbroken; a bar secured to said header by hooked projections extending outwardly from the front wall of said header and extending across said hole; a cover having an unbroken peripheral surface insertable into and fitting said hole; and a screw threaded to saidbar for retaining'said cover in position and locking said her to said projection of-saidheader.

3. A hollow header for boilers havingin theouterwall thereof ahand hole with a tapered bore of which the surface is unbroken; a cover having aconical unbroken peripheral surface fitted into said hole; abar extending across said hole and removably positioned'on'said header; and means adjustably mounted on said bar for forcing said cover into said hole with the periphery of said cover in tight contact with the wall of said hand hole.

4. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a hand hole with a tapered boreofwhich'the wall isunbroke n; a cover having a conical unbroken peripheral surface fitted into said hole and having its inner end cupped outwardly; a bar extending across said hole and positioned on said header; and'means adjust-ably mounted on saidb'ar co'acting with the cupped portion of said cover for forcing said cover into said' hole and spreading' the inner end of said cover into'tight-contact with the wall of said hole. 1

'5. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof ahand hole with a tapered bore of which the surface'of the wall is unbroken; a cover having a conical unbroken peripheralsurfacefitted into said hole and provided onits outer end with laterally extending removing means spaced fromthe outerface of said outer wall; a bar extending diametrically'across said holeand positioned onsaid header free 'from' contact with said cover; and means adjustably mounted on said bar for forcing said cover into said hole with the periphery of said cover and in tight contact with the wall of said hand hole.

6. Ahollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a tapered hand hole of which the wall is cylindrical and unbroken; a cover insertable into said hole and provided with an unbrokencone-shaped peripheral surface adapted to contact with the wall of said hole; and means removably mounted on and free from contact with the outer face of said header for forcing said cover into said hole and the inclined peripheral surface of said cover into close contact with the wall of said hand hole.

7. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a tapered hand hole of which the wall is cylindrical and has an unbroken surface; a cover insertable into said hole and provided with a cone-shaped peripheral surface adapted to contact with the wall of said hole and having its inner end cupped outwardly; and means supported on the outer face of said header engaging. the outwardly cupped end of said cover and adjustable to force said cover into said hole and spread the inner end of' said cover into tight contact with the wall of said hole.

8. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a tapered hand hole of which the surrounding wall has an unbroken surface; a cover insertable into said hole and provided with a cone-shaped peripheral surface adapted to contact with the wall of said hole; oppositely disposed members integral with said header extending from the outer face thereof and having hooks thereon extending in opposite directions; a bar extending diametrically across said hole and positioned by said hooks free from contact with said cover; and a screw threaded to said bar and impinging on the center of said cover adapted to simultaneously force said bar against said hooks and seat said cover in said hand hole.

9. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall thereof a tapered hand hole of which the surrounding wall is cylindrical and has an unbroken surface; a cover insertable into said hole and provided with a coneshaped peripheral surface adapted to contact with the wall of said hole; oppositely disposed members extending outwardly from the outer face of said header and having hooks thereon extending in opposite directions, said hooks having stop shoulders at their outer ends; a bar extending diametrically across said hole and positioned by said hooks free from contact with said cover; and a screw threaded to said bar and impinging on the center of said cover adapted to simultaneously force said bar against said hooks and seat said cover in said hand hole.

10. A hollow header for boilers having in the outer wall theerof a tapered hand hole of which the surface of the surrounding wall is unbroken; a cup-shaped cover having a tapered cylindrical portion extending beyond the outer face of said header, the peripheral surface of said cylindrical portion being unbroken and fitting said hole removable means on said header for forcing said cover into said hole with said cylindrical portion in tight contact with the wall of said hole; and oppositely disposed flanges extending laterally from the outer end of said cylindrical portion parallel to the outer wall of said header and free from contact therewith.

11. A hollow header for boilers having a plurality of parallel fiat faces inthe front and rear walls thereof with a hole in each rear face to receive a boiler tube and a slightly larger hand hole in each front wall alined with said rear hole, said hand hole having an unbroken tapered wall; a tapered cover insertable into and tightly fitting each hand hole, the peripheral surface of said cover belng unbroken; and adjustable means supported on the front face of said header for forcing said cover into said hand hole and retaining it in position therein.

12. A hollow header for boilers having a plurality of parallel flat faces in the front and rear walls thereof with a hole in each rear face to receive a boiler tube and a slightly larger hand hole in each front wall alined with said rear hole, said front and rear faces both being in echelon; a tapered cover insertable into and tightly fitting each hand hole,

the peripheral surface of said cover being unbroken; and means removably supported on each front wall for forcing said cover into said hand hole and retaining it in position therein.

Signed by me at Bayonne, N. J this 8th day of May, 1925.

JOHN T. DALCHER. 

